Where will the "smart money" flow at the beginning of 2026? Huobi HTX uses a smarter asset strategy to continuously outperform mainstream exchanges of the same scale

In the cryptocurrency market, "listing" has never been a simple matter.

It is both a test of trend judgment and a comprehensive game of risk control, time efficiency, and user interest trade-offs. In 2025, in an environment characterized by high market volatility and strong differentiation, Huobi HTX provided a clear and reviewable answer—listing must be smart, continuously creating realizable wealth effects for users across the three dimensions of "time, judgment, and risk."

First, let's look at the results: In 2025, Huobi HTX outperformed the market in "participatory gains"

Reviewing the performance of new assets on Huobi HTX in 2025 reveals some key impressive indicators: a total of 166 new assets were launched throughout the year, covering core sectors such as AI, Meme, Layer 1/2, BSC, RWA, stablecoins, and DeFi; 96 assets saw gains exceeding 100% after listing; 9 assets had gains exceeding 1000%; the highest gain of the year came from PIPPIN, which rose by 9500%.

However, compared to the "highest gain," what makes Huobi HTX more competitive is the time window available for ordinary users to participate.

In 2025, among the assets listed on Huobi HTX, 17.47% of the coins had gains exceeding 20% within 7 days, ranking first among mainstream exchanges of similar scale. This indicator is not merely an extreme case; it reflects that new assets on Huobi HTX are likely to generate positive price feedback in the early stages after listing.

How was this achieved? The answer lies in the "time dimension"

In Huobi HTX's consistent asset strategy, there is a very clear consensus: in the cryptocurrency market, time itself is profit.

AI Sector: Bringing trends forward by an entire cycle

At the beginning of 2025, AI Agent and DeFAI were launched simultaneously. Within just 11 days from January 18 to January 28, Huobi HTX listed 11 AI-related projects: NEUR, BUZZ, AVAAI, PIPPIN, ARC, GAMEBASE, AI16Z, GRIFFAIN, ELIZAOS, SWARMS, DEGENAI. Except for AI16Z, almost all were first launches or very early listings.

While the market was still "confirming whether AI is the main line," Huobi HTX had already completed a structural layout, allowing users to position themselves before the trend formed, rather than passively chasing highs during crowded emotions.

Leading mainstream exchanges in listings: Wealth effects are not predicted but positioned in advance

In 2025, Huobi HTX achieved a preemptive layout in multiple core sectors, with several assets launched before trends took shape. This ability to "position in advance" gave Huobi HTX a time advantage in various structural opportunities.

Huobi HTX led mainstream exchanges by listing 18 assets ahead of the market. For example, projects like PLUME, BANK, BIGTIME, USD1, and TRUMP were all listed on Huobi HTX for spot trading before the market widely focused on them, providing users with ample price discovery periods and participation space. When industry consensus gradually formed, Huobi HTX users had already completed their layouts, rather than passively chasing emotional peaks.

This timely judgment in capturing quality assets in promising sectors is particularly evident in BSC assets.

• DONKEY: Launched before the market had formed a substantial discussion, it later attracted funding attention, rising by a maximum of 6811%;

• M: Positioned in a structural sector early on, it continued to receive promotional support after listing, achieving a peak gain of 4186%;

• ASTER: Became the first CEX to launch on the entire network, subsequently gaining broader market recognition, rising by 340%;

• Binance Life: Became the first CEX to support Chinese Meme, launching before the narrative had spread, and later rising by 438%.

These early assets were not simply "rushed to launch," but were based on continuous tracking of on-chain data, community activity, and funding trends. The advance in time is essentially a reflection of sharp judgment. In the cryptocurrency market, prices never rise suddenly; they are merely rewards for early positioning.

True "smartness" is not exposing users to the wrong timing

A "smart" listing strategy does not equate to "launching all projects at the first opportunity." Waiting and delaying launches can also be a responsible strategy for users. Some projects may not be suitable for user participation on the first day, but at the right time, they are still worth being seen.

For instance, during certain VC coin unlocking periods, initial selling pressure can be significant. Huobi HTX anticipated the combination of high selling pressure and short-selling sentiment, choosing to delay listings until the market had completed turnover and confirmed the project's resilience, often resulting in good gains, validating the correctness of this delay strategy.

Beginning of 2026: What is "smart money" doing on Huobi HTX before the Spring Festival?

Before the Spring Festival, it has always been the most genuine time window for capital behavior. Current market data shows that experienced funds are completing layouts in advance on Huobi HTX, characterized very clearly: leaning towards early but validated structural assets; favoring projects where risks have been released but value has not yet been fully priced; avoiding high uncertainty and purely emotion-driven short-term speculation.

Looking back at 2025, Huobi HTX Global Advisor Justin Sun mentioned that "whatever is hot, we list," which constituted the underlying logic of Huobi HTX's asset strategy over the past year. Huobi HTX's asset strategy over the past year has consistently revolved around three core questions:

First, is it early enough? The real "fire" often appears before consensus forms. Huobi HTX completed layouts before trend explosions through preemptive tracking of on-chain data, community activity, and funding structures, bringing the time dimension of "fire" forward.

Second, is the judgment accurate? Selecting projects with sustainability among hot topics, avoiding purely emotion-driven and structurally imbalanced assets, binding "fire" with sustainability.

Third, is it standing on the user's side? The ultimate goal of listing is not to chase traffic but to create realizable participation windows. Through strategies like early layout, phased observation, and risk filtering, allowing "fire" to truly transform into wealth effects.

Data, timelines, and real wealth effects have already provided answers. As we enter 2026, this logic will be further strengthened and validated. On one hand, Huobi HTX will continue to uphold the "value return" strategy, tightening access standards, prioritizing the listing of assets with real income, compliance foundations, and sustainable business models, ensuring that "fire" is built on a foundation of value; on the other hand, it will also maintain market sensitivity to "whatever is hot," focusing on laying out certain sectors such as RWA, prediction markets, Perp DEX infrastructure, and mobile PayFi.

2026 has already begun. As a new cycle gradually unfolds, Huobi HTX is accompanying global users with a more mature, restrained, and smarter asset strategy, steadily "holding coins through bull and bear cycles," reaping substantial wealth returns for long-termists.

About Huobi HTX

Huobi HTX was established in 2013 and has developed over 12 years from a cryptocurrency exchange into a comprehensive blockchain business ecosystem, covering digital asset trading, financial derivatives, research, investment, incubation, and other businesses.

As a leading global Web3 portal, Huobi HTX adheres to a development strategy of global expansion, ecological prosperity, wealth effects, and safety compliance, providing comprehensive, secure, and reliable value and services for virtual currency enthusiasts worldwide.